4 Symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is often depicted stereotypically within the media. We at Psych2Go think it would be useful to gain a better understanding of the disorder and how it manifests.

(OCD) is a mental disorder characterized by a pattern of unreasonable thoughts and fears. These thoughts, or obsessions, lead the sufferer to do repetitive behaviors, or compulsions. People with OCD are unable to control their obsessions and compulsions. These actions take up a great deal of time and interfere with their daily routine as well as social or work functioning.

In this article, Psych2Go will take a look at four common obsessions as well as the compulsions that accompany them.

1. Fear of contamination or dirt

Contamination OCD is when the sufferer has a pervasive sense of having some undesirable object on their body, even after washing.

According to PsychCentral, this form of OCD manifests itself along a few major themes. These are:

Contamination results in harm to self or others

Simple awareness that a contaminant is “just there”

Concerns over bug and insect-related contamination

Washing rituals as efforts to remove undesirable thoughts or ideas

The International OCD Foundation reports that contamination OCD is not limited to things like dirt, germs, and viruses. It can also include things such as:

Find us on Facebook

Subscribe to our Youtube!

About

Psych2Go’s mission is to raise mental health awareness by presenting psychological topics in a digestible and relatable manner. We invite the audience to gain insight about their lives by exploring various categories, including family, friends, relationships, and the human mind. Our videos strive to educate our audience on how to use credible resources to better understand mental health issues and clinical disorders. Psych2Go is an open community that offers mentorship and job opportunities for talented team members. We strive to help, inform, mentor, and inspire young minds who mold the state of our future!